Metal Theft Goes Big Time
Buses Stolen, Scrapped and Cut Up
GPS Devices Track the Assets
A Cook County, Illinois, judge ordered the owner of a scrap yard where the remains of several stolen school buses were found held in lieu of bail on a charge unrelated to the case.
Eight 40 foot long buses, each capable of seating 75 people, were taken sometime overnight last Thursday from the yard of Sunshine Transportation, police said. Shards of metal bearing the bus company name could be seen in the yard at SRV Metal Scrapper and Gonzalez Auto Parts and Dismantling, which is owned by Sergio Quintero, police said.
Later that day, Quintero was arrested after a search of his scrap company, where he was found hiding in the ceiling of the business office, police said. The search revealed that Quintero, originally from Michoacan, Mexico, possessed numerous Illinois certificate of titles without complete assignment in his office, according to police reports. He was later charged with felony possession of a title or registration that has not been assigned, police Officer John Mirabelli said.
